‘Terminator’ Reboot: Jason Clarke in Talks to Play John Connor

One hope expressed by the Screen Rant Underground Podcast crew – with regard to the new era of the Terminator franchise – is that the forthcoming TV series will focus on characters outside the Connor family, while still tying into events featured in the upcoming movie reboot – the latter having been confirmed to feature new versions of John Connor (leader of the human rebellion against Skynet in the futuristic war between humanity and A.I. machines) and his mother, Sarah.

While the Terminator franchise is arguably prime real estate for a deeper exploration along those lines, it at least seems as though the film reboot will feature some top-notch acting talent handling familiar roles (if nothing else).

Rumor has it that the Terminator film reboot – which might be titled Terminator: Genesis – will change a pivotal moment from James Cameron’s original 1984 Terminator movie, by having the killer cyborg portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger (who’ll reprise his iconic role in the reboot) revealed to be young Sarah’s protector, instead of her would-be assassin.

Terminator reboot director Alan Taylor (Thor: The Dark World) was said to have been keen on having Tom Hardy (Mad Max: Fury Road) play the battle-hardened John Connor in the film’s post-Judgement Day future, but according to Deadline actor Jason Clarke has entered negotiations to tackle the role instead.

Clarke, for those unfamiliar, has spent the last several years amassing noteworthy supporting roles under his belt – with strong supporting roles in films like Public Enemies, Zero Dark Thirty and The Great Gatsby – in addition to proving his leading man abilities on the short-lived TV series The Chicago Code. His next appearance will be as one of the leaders of a diminished human population (in the aftermath of a terrible virus outbreak) in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes in 2014.

Meanwhile, the search continue to find a new Sarah Connor – a role Linda Hamilton played in the previous Terminator movies and Lena Headey tackled on The Sarah Connor Chronicles TV series – with Headey’s Game of Thrones costar Emilia Clarke said to be the front-runner. (For those who didn’t know: Taylor served as an executive producer and directed episodes on HBO’s hit George R.R. Martin fantasy series before he made the Thor sequel.)

Thus far, the cast for the Terminator reboot is shaping up nicely, with Schwarzenegger, Clarke and… um, Clarke (or, possibly, Short Term 12 actress Brie Larson) as the three central leads. Moreover, it seems as though Annapurna Pictures (American Hustle) is planning to return the franchise to its roots in partial sci-fi, but foremost horror, with the film reboot’s script being co-written by Patrick Lussier (Dracula 2000, Drive Angry).

All in all that sounds like a smart move, after the last two installments (arguably) failed to update the sci-fi elements of the series in a manner that allows them to stand out that well, given the current landscape of post-apocalyptic sci-fi features and blockbusters. Let us know if you agree/disagree and what your feelings are towards the casting for the Terminator reboot, in the comments section of this article.